Dr Rajesh Tandon (an Electronics Engineer from IIT, Kanpur with graduation in Management from IIM, Calcutta, is an internationally acclaimed leader and practitioner of participatory research and development. He is the Founder and President of the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), New Delhi. Also, he is the Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education. Dr. Tandon serves as Chairperson of the Global Alliance on Community-Engaged Research (GACER) network, which facilitates the sharing of knowledge and information worldwide to further community-based research. He is the co-editor of the GUNI Report on “Engagement, Knowledge & Higher Education: Rethinking Social Responsibility”. Dr. Tandon has authored more than 100 articles, a dozen books and numerous training manuals on themes such as democratic governance, civic engagement, civil society, governance and management of NGOs, participatory research and people-centred development. He also serves on the Boards of many national and international non-profit organizations, and has served as Advisor to the Commonwealth Foundation, UNDP, and numerous other international agencies.

Jagadananda demitted the office as the State Information Commissioner, Odisha to advance the Right to Information (RTI) agenda in the State in August 2013 and was a Member of the State Planning Board of Odisha, following his active campaigning for people-centric decentralized planning. He was a Member of the Standing Committee (CSOs) at the NITI Aayog on Institutionalizing Partnership between Civil Society and the Government. As the Convenor of Odisha Development Initiative, he facilitated organization of Odisha Development Conclave, a multi stakeholder platform. He has held offices as Chairperson, Voluntary Action Network India (VANI), the largest national network of social development agencies in India, Chair of Credibility Alliance, a national forum for promotion of accountability norms for Civil Society Organizations and the Chair of Sa-Dhan, a national network of Community Development Micro Finance Institutions with membership spread across the country. He was offered a senior visiting fellowship at CIVICUS-World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and worked on the issues of legitimacy, transparency and accountability within civil society at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. His publication ‘Civil Society Legitimacy and Accountability’ is widely available in French, Spanish, Arabic and English languages. His other publications include “Organization Behaviour” a framework for Non-Governmental Development Organisations and an Organisation Self-Assessment tool for NGOs’ (OSANGO).

Prafulla Kumar Sahoo is a Social Scientist, having Post Graduate Degree from Tata Institute of Social Sciences – TISS), diploma in Monitoring & Evaluation from Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA, USA, certificate on Total Quality Management (TQM) – from Team Technology, USA, Training on Strategic Planning & NGO Management & Development from Cranfield School of International Management, United Kingdom. He is engaged in development sector more than 38 years. He has expertise in Governance and Civil Society Building, Panchayat Raj Institution, NGO Development and Management, Organizational Development and Institutional Building, Policy Analysis and Strategic Planning and Poverty Reduction Strategies. He is the Director of Schumacher Centre Board, New Delhi and Member of CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Johannesburg. He was the Member of National Consultative Committee on “National Youth Policy”, Govt. of India. He has held the office as Chairman of Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS). He was International visitor (NGO Expert) to the USA on invitation of the United States Information Agency under US Government and addressed several Institutions and Foundation in USA. He has widely travelled and addressed various International and National forums and foundations in many countries. Associated with UN declared Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and addressed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on “Strengthening Civil Society and UN Reforms” in 2005. He has guided several Policy and Action Research Studies on Education (Literacy Mission), Youth, Women, Tribal, Environment, Development and Good Governance, etc and also has immensely contributed towards Financial Literacy, Micro-finance and Micro-Enterprise domains. He is the Co-founder and former Chairman of CYSD.

Tulasi Munda has been associated with tribal development activities for last 45 years and working towards the all-round development of tribals. She has received the prestigious PADMASHREE Award for her relentless work for the development of tribals. She is a strong supporter of Gandhian philosophy. She has been widely recognized as a great tribal leader.

Shri Binoy Acharya is the Founder Director of UNNATI – Organization for Development Education. As a social development practitioner and researcher, he has been working in the areas of participatory research, local governance and social accountability. He has worked in association with the Government of Gujarat to operationalize the social audit system covering the entire state.

Prof. Madhumita Das is the former Vice Chancellor of Fakir Mohan University, Odisha (2017-20). She has served several important positions in different institutions and organizations. In 1989–90 she was also a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) fellow.

Dr. Debiprasad Mishra served as Professor in Institute of Rural Management-Anand (IRMA), Gujrat and a visiting scholar of Cornell Institute of Public Affairs (CIPA), Cornell University, and Ithaca, USA. Dr. Mishra has been associated with Real-Utopia Research & Advisory, Bhubaneswar as the Chief Mentor. Dr. Mishra was associated with a number of Institutions’ / Organizations’ Governing Body / Advisory Committee, such as Corporate Social Responsibility Council, Strategic Advisory Board, Xavier School of Rural Management, Gram Vikas, Participatory Research in Asia, IRMA, Human Resources for Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development, Govt of India and Steering Committee on “Voluntary Sector”, Planning Commission, Government of India and in many other Civil Society Organizations. He also served as Editor, International Journal of Rural Management (IJRM). Currently he is serves as the Director of Development Management Institute, Patna.

Prof. Krutibas Ranasingh was the Principal in a college affiliated under Utkal University. He is involved with a number of educational institutions and social service organizations. He is playing a key role in All Orissa UGC Lectures Association.

Basant Mohanty is a Development Professional having Master’s Degree and M.Phil. in Anthropology with specialization in Social Anthropology from Utkal University, Odisha. He has more than 40 years of experience in Social Development Field. As a development professional, he has extensively devoted himself for holistic development of the most vulnerable and marginalized communities across the country. His institutional engagements were primarily with premier national and international humanitarian agencies including PLAN International, CARE India, National Institute of Social Work and Social Sciences, Indian Council of Medical Research and Orissa Institute of Engineering Technology. He retired from Care India as the State Director of Odisha and West Bengal.

Shri Jugal Kishore Mohapatra holds post-graduate degrees in Economics from both the Delhi School of Economics and Boston University. A 1979-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Odisha Cadre, his distinguished 37-year civil service career includes key state appointments such as Secretary to the Chief Minister, Principal Secretary (Finance), Development Commissioner, and Chief Secretary in the Government of Odisha. At the central level, he served as Secretary in the Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers (Department of Fertilizers) and the Ministry of Rural Development. Following his tenure in government, he served as the Chairman of NABARD Financial Services Limited (NABFINS). He has the attempt at shaping the political discourse on Climate Change through the Climate Panchayat initiative as part of the Earth Again Movement with the Sambad Group.

Shri Sujit Mahapatra is the Founder and Secretary of Bakul Foundation and a former English Literature professor at Ravenshaw University. Through Bakul, he harnesses youth volunteerism to drive impactful initiatives in education, environment, and the arts—spearheading Odisha’s library movement, shaping its public art, popularizing tree-gifting, and co-founding the Bhubaneswar Festival of Storytelling (BhuFeSto). Additionally, he has contributed to public policy as a member of the State Steering Committee for the National Green Corps, the Governing Body of Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited, and the Drafting Committee for the Odisha State Youth Policy.